The recommendations below represents only a fraction of information available about black women in history. If you have any recommendations you would like to share, please let us know at blackcaucus@democratsabroard.org. All documentaries, films and book are available for many sources. Where links are provided, they are only suggested sources. Please use the sources you are most comfortable with.

Feature Films

Hidden Figures (2016) African-American women mathematicians Dorothy Vaughan, Mary Jackson, and Katherine Johnson help NASA launch the first man into space in a race against Russia.

Carmen Jones (1954) was a rarity for Hollywood: a mainstream film with an all-African American cast. Carmen Jones is a retelling of Bizet's opera about an independent woman who lives by her own rules and discards men when she grows tired of them. The characters were changed from Europeans to African-Americans on an Army base in the deep South.

Waiting to Exhale (1995) Based on Terry McMillan's novel, this film follows four very different African-American women and their relationships with the male gender.

Beloved (1998) Based on Toni Morrison's 1987 novel of the same name, directed by Jonathan Demme and starring Oprah Winfrey, Danny Glover, and Thandie Newton. The plot centers on a former slave after the American Civil War, her haunting by a poltergeist, and the visitation of her reincarnated daughter whom she murdered out of desperation to save her from a slave owner.

Set It Off (1996) The film stars Jada Pinkett Smith, Queen Latifah, Vivica A. Fox and Kimberly Elise (in her film debut). It follows four close friends in Los Angeles, California, who decide to plan and execute a bank robbery. They decide to do so for different reasons, although all four want better for themselves and their families. **Chair's pick**This is one of my favorite films. I would highly recommend watching this film.

Their Eyes Were Watching God (2005) A drama set in the 1920s, where free-spirited Janie Crawford's search for happiness leads her through several different marriages, challenging the morals of her small town. Based on the novel by Zora Neale Hurston.

Middle of Nowhere (2012) An independent feature film written and directed by Ava DuVernay and starring Emayatzy Corinealdi, David Oyelowo, Omari Hardwick and Lorraine Toussaint. After her husband is sent to prison for eight years, medical student Ruby shelves her studies to focus on her partner's welfare as he serves his time.

The Josephine Baker Story (1991) Dancer/singer Josephine Baker was the first Black woman to star in a major motion picture film and become a world famous entertainer. Known for performing the banana dance, Baker would wear the fruit covering her bottom while remaining topless. She was also known for her contributions to the Civil Rights movement. Actress Lynn Whitfield stepped into the shoes of Baker for the 1991 HBO biopic The Josephine Baker Story. Unlike most biographical films, this one dug as deep into Baker’s personal life as her public one. Whitfield took home an Emmy and an NAACP award for her role in the film.

Introducing Dorothy Dandridge (1999) Actress/singer Dorothy Dandridge was the first Black woman to be nominated for an Academy award for Best Actress. Another future Academy award winning actress would play her in the biopic Introducing Dorothy Dandridge. Halle Berry portrayed the troubled singer more than 30 years after her life was tragically cut short. Her manager found the 42-year-old Dandridge dead of an apparent overdose. Berry earned critical acclaim and numerous awards including an Emmy and a Golden Globe for her portrayal.

What’s Love Got To Do With It (1993) From her humble beginnings in Nutbush, Tennessee as Anna Mae Bullock, Tina Turner ended up becoming an international superstar. The singer’s life was brought to the big screen in the biopic What’s Love Got To Do With It. Actress Angela Bassett played the iconic singer in the film in a breakout performance. Covering not just her rise to fame but her violent marriage to husband/manager Ike Turner as well, the film grossed $50 million worldwide. Bassett was nominated for her role and walked away with a Golden Globe for Best Actress.

The Secret Life of Bees (2008) Set in South Carolina in 1964, this is the tale of Lily Owens, a 14 year-old girl who is haunted by the memory of her late mother. To escape her lonely life and troubled relationship with her father T-Ray, Lily flees with Rosaleen, her caregiver and friend, to a South Carolina town that holds the secret to her mother's past. Taken in by the intelligent and independent Boatwright sisters, Lily finds solace in their mesmerizing world of beekeeping.

Precious (2009) Pregnant by her own father for the second time, 16-year-old Claireece "Precious" Jones (Gabourey Sidibe) can neither read nor write and suffers constant abuse at the hands of her vicious mother (Mo'Nique). Precious instinctively sees a chance to turn her life around when she is offered the opportunity to transfer to an alternative school. Under the patient, firm guidance of her new teacher, Ms. Rain (Paula Patton), Precious begins the journey from oppression to self-determination.

The Color Purple (1985) An epic tale spanning forty years in the life of Celie (Whoopi Goldberg), an African-American woman living in the South who survives incredible abuse and bigotry. After Celie's abusive father marries her off to the equally debasing "Mister" Albert Johnson (Danny Glover), things go from bad to worse, leaving Celie to find companionship anywhere she can. She perseveres, holding on to her dream of one day being reunited with her sister in Africa. Based on the novel by Alice Walker.

Documentaries Films

The Rape of Recy Taylor(2017) Recy Taylor, a 24-year-old black mother and sharecropper, was gang raped by six white boys in 1944 Alabama. Common in Jim Crow South, few women spoke up in fear for their lives. Not Recy Taylor, who bravely identified her rapists. The NAACP sent its chief rape investigator Rosa Parks, who rallied support and triggered an unprecedented outcry for justice.

DARK GIRLS (2011) A fascinating and controversial film that goes underneath the surface to explore the prejudices dark-skinned women face throughout the world. It explores the roots of classism, racism and the lack of self-esteem within a segment of cultures that span from America to the most remote corners of the globe. Women share their personal stories, touching on deeply ingrained beliefs and attitudes of society, while allowing generations to heal as they learn to love themselves for who they are. Available on Amazon Video

Chisholm ’72: Unbought & Unbossed (2004) In 1968, Shirley Chisholm becomes the first black woman elected to Congress. In 1972, she becomes the first black woman to run for president. Shunned by the political establishment, she's supported by a motley crew of blacks, feminists, and young voters. Their campaign-trail adventures are frenzied, fierce and fundamentally right on! Available on Amazon Video and iTunes.

Free Angela & All Political Prisoners (2013) In October 1970, Angela Davis was arrested in New York City in connection with a shootout that occurred on August 7 in a San Raphael, California courtroom. She was accused of supplying weapons to Jonathan Jackson, who burst into the courtroom in a bid to free inmates on trial there (the Soledad Brothers) and take hostages whom he hoped to exchange for his brother George Jackson, a black radical imprisoned at San Quentin. In the subsequent shoot-out with police, Jonathan Jackson was killed, along with Judge Harold Haley and two inmates. Davis, who had championed the cause of organizing black prisoners and was friends (later became involved) with George Jackson, was indicted in the crime, because the guns used in the shoot-out were registered to her; but she went into hiding, becoming one of the FBI's most wanted criminals; she was apprehended only two months later. Her trial drew international attention. Eventually, after about 18 months after her capture, in June 1972, she was acquitted of all charges. Shola Lynch’s "Free Angela & All Political Prisoners" relives those eventful, uncertain, transformative early years of Angela Davis’ life; it aims to raise awareness and reignite discussion on the movement she joined and eventually led, by introducing it to a new, younger generation, in a simple, straight-forward, accessible style. Audre Lorde - The Berlin Years 1984 to 1992 (2012) Dagmar Shultz's film tells an untold chapter (the Berlin years) of the late writer, poet and activist, child of immigrants from Grenada, who died rather young at 58 years old in 1992. The film focuses on Audre Lorde's years in Berlin during which she catalyzed the first movement of Black Germans to claim their identity as Afro-Germans. As she was inspiring Afro-Germans, she was also encouraging White German feminists to look at their own racism. The film serves as a historical document for future generations of Germans, profiling and highlighting, from the roots, the African presence in Germany, and the origins of the anti-racist movement before and after German reunification. It also offers analysis and an understanding of present-day debates on identity and racism in Germany. Consider it a companion piece to the 1994 documentary "A Litany for Survival: The Life and Work of Audre Lorde" by Ada Gray Griffin and Michelle Parkerson, which is also certainly a film you should see. Taking Root: The Vision of Wangari Maathai (2008) In 2004, Wangari Maathai became the first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize. The Kenyan political and environmental activist died at age 71 in September 2011, losing a lengthy battle with cancer. "Taking Root: The Vision of Wangari Maathai" documents the story of Kenya’s Green Belt Movement, a grassroots organization encouraging rural women and families to plant trees in community groups. The film centers specifically on Maathai, the movement’s founder, as she helps spark a movement to reclaim Kenya’s land from a century of deforestation, while providing new sources of livelihood to rural communities. The film follows her three-decade journey of courage to protect the environment, ensure gender equality, defend human rights and promote democracy - all coming from the simple act of planting trees. Lisa Merton and Alan Dater directed the film. Beah: A Black Woman Speaks (2003) Lisa Gay Hamilton's directorial debut, the documentary is a record of the graceful, seemingly indomitable actress Beah Richards - a sensitive portrait of an artist and activist who became especially iconic to generations of black actors. While Richards struggled to overcome racial stereotypes throughout her long career onstage and onscreen, she also had an influential role in the fight for Civil Rights, working alongside the likes of Paul Robeson, W.E.B. DuBois and Louise Patterson. After performing with Richards in Jonathan Demme's "Beloved," "Beah: A Black Woman Speaks" director Lisa Gay Hamilton said she was compelled to get her inspiring story on film, and began the project with Demme as co-producer. Hamilton’s intimate interviews capture Richards’ passion and enduring elegance, and are interwoven with archival footage of her work, including riveting performances of some of her most famous poems. The film celebrates the life of the legendary actress, poet and political activist. Zora Neale Hurston: Jump at the Sun (2008) Director Sam Pollard's documentary on the path-breaking novelist, pioneering anthropologist and one of the first black women to enter the American literary canon ("Their Eyes Were Watching God"), as well as one of the most vital, inventive voices in American literature. A definitive biography, 18 long years in the making, the film portrays Hurston in all her complexity: gifted, flamboyant, and controversial, but always fiercely original. It incorporates insights from leading scholars, and rare footage of the rural South (some of it shot by Hurston herself), with re-enactments of a revealing 1943 radio interview. Hurston biographer, Cheryl Wall, traces her unique artistic vision back to her childhood in Eatonville, Florida - the first all-black incorporated town in the USA. It's a well-rounded, informative account of an exuberant, independent woman, outlining Hurston's life and her near-miraculous achievements, drawing on an impressive and eclectic group of talking heads. Alice Walker: Beauty in Truth (2013) Writer and activist Alice Walker made history as the first African-American woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for her seminal novel or which she won the National Book Award. Delving into her personal life, "Alice Walker: Beauty in Truth" reveals the inspiration for many of her works. Filmmaker Pratibha Parmar’s documentary tells Walker’s dramatic life story with poetry and lyricism, and features new interviews with Walker, Steven Spielberg, Danny Glover, Quincy Jones, Gloria Steinem, Sapphire and the late Howard Zinn in one of his final interviews. "Alice Walker: Beauty in Truth" charts Walker’s inspiring journey from her birth into a family of sharecroppers in Eatonton, Georgia, to the present. The film explores Walker’s relationship with her mother, poverty, and participation in the Civil Rights Movement, which were the formative influences on her consciousness and became the inherent themes in her writing. Moms Mabley: I Got Somethin' to Tell You (2013) Whoopi Goldberg directed the documentary feature on the life of pioneering comedian Moms Mabley. Having broken racial and sexual boundaries as a pioneering comic talent, the late Moms Mabley has long been an icon in the comedy world. In the film, Goldberg takes a deep dive into Mabley’s legacy via recently unearthed photography, rediscovered performance footage and the words of numerous celebrated comedians. A true passion project for Goldberg, "I Got Somethin’ to Tell You" shows Mabley’s historical significance and profound influence as a performer vastly ahead of her time. Moms Mabley was a pioneer in the comedy world and this documentary showcases her talent and pays homage to a woman who is still relevant today. Moms was the first and without her there probably would not have been a Totie, a Joan, a Kathy, a Wanda, or any of the others who may follow. Without Moms there certainly would not have been a Whoopi. With her boundary pushing stand-up she was able to get past the obstacles of all the “isms”; racism, sexism, ageism. Moms helped shape the idea that comedy could make a political and social statement and still be hilarious. Goldberg calls Mabley one of her role models. This documentary delves into the comedy of Mabley, and helps define her significance through clips, old photographs, television show appearances and interviews with famous and influential people who either knew and worked with Moms or were inspired by her. Queen Nanny: Legendary Maroon Chieftainess (2015) Roy T. Anderson’s documentary telling the story of the legendary “Nanny of the Maroons,” Jamaica’s only female National Hero who was confirmed by Jacqueline DjeDje, Professor Emeritus at UCLA, as “the first black female freedom fighter in the Americas – coming before Harriet Tubman, and even Sojourner Truth.” This eighteenth-century warrior queen led a band of former enslaved Africans in the mountains of Jamaica to a decisive victory over the mighty British army. Despite all the acclaim, Queen Nanny remains a mystery. Conceived by Anderson and History Professor Harcourt T. Fuller, this landmark documentary unearths and examines this mysterious figure that is Queen of the Maroons. “Queen Nanny: Legendary Maroon Chieftainess” was filmed in Jamaica, Ghana, Canada, and the United States over the course of two years, and includes interviews with Maroons and scholars who are experts in Caribbean history and the study of slavery. This film features appearances by the “Queen of Reggae” Rita Marley, the widow of Bob Marley; Jamaica’s first female Prime Minister, The Most Hon. Portia Simpson-Miller; double Olympic and World Champion sprinter Shelley-Ann Fraser-Pryce; U.S. Congresswoman Yvette Clarke; historians Verene Shepherd, Linda Heywood, Afua Cooper and others. Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise (2016) From co-directors Bob Hercules and Rita Coburn Whack comes the feature-length documentary, “Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise,” which tells the remarkable story of Maya Angelou – iconic writer, poet, actress and activist – whose life has intersected some of the most profound moments in recent American history. The film pieces together the life of prejudice and oppression that made the seminal author of “Í Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” the great, inspirational writer whose name defies categorization. With unprecedented access, the filmmakers trace Dr. Angelou’s incredible journey, shedding light on the untold aspects of her life through never-before-seen footage, rare archival photographs and videos and her own words. From her upbringing in the Depression-era South and her early performing career (1957’s Miss Calypso album and "Calypso Heat Wave" film, Jean Genet’s 1961 play "The Blacks") to her work with Malcolm X in Ghana and her many writing successes, including her inaugural poem for President Bill Clinton, "Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise" reveals hidden facets of her life during some of America’s most defining moments. The film also features exclusive interviews with Dr. Angelou, her friends and family, including Clinton, Oprah Winfrey, Common, Alfre Woodard, Cicely Tyson, Quincy Jones, Hillary Clinton, Louis Gossett, Jr., John Singleton, Diahann Carroll, Valerie Simpson, Random House editor Bob Loomis and Dr. Angelou’s son, Guy Johnson. T-Rex (2016)"T-Rex" is an intimate coming-of-age story about a new kind of American heroine. For the first time ever, women’s boxing was included in the 2012 Olympics. Fighting for gold from the U.S. was Claressa “T-Rex” Shields, then just 17 years old, and by far the youngest competitor. From the hard knock streets of Flint, Michigan, Claressa is undefeated and utterly confident. Her fierceness extends beyond the ring. She protects her family at any cost, even when their instability and addictions threaten to derail her dream. Claressa does have one stable force in her life. Coach Jason Crutchfield has trained her since she was a scrawny 11-year-old hanging out at his gym. Jason always wanted a champion; he just never thought it’d be a girl. Her relationships with her coach and her family grow tenser as she gets closer and closer to her dream. But Claressa is fierce and determined. She desperately wants to take her family to a better, safer place and winning a gold medal could be her only chance. She would eventually claim her sport in history as the youngest, and the first woman boxer to win a Gold Medal in her weight class. She would pick up another Gold Medal at the 2016 Olympics in Rio. The tri-continental effort (North America, Europe and Asia) comes from directors Drea Cooper & Zackary Canepari, who begun work on the film in 2012. A Ballerina’s Tale (2015) Nelson George’s documentary explores the rise of Misty Copeland, who made history as the first African American female principal dancer with the prestigious American Ballet Theater. It gives audiences an intimate look at a groundbreaking dancer during a crucial period in her life, as she makes the transition. On June 30, 2015, Copeland became the first African American woman to be promoted to principal dancer in ABT’s 75-year history. It recounts her early struggles as a young dancer living in a welfare motel with her family, and provides an insider’s look at the cutthroat world of professional ballet, telling a moving story of dreams and perseverance, and reflects on her legacy as she trains and mentors talented hopefuls from diverse backgrounds, looking to take on the next major step in their ballet careers. Iron Ladies of Liberia (2007) After nearly two decades of brutal civil war, Liberia is a nation ready for change. On January 16, 2006, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf was inaugurated the country’s first elected female president and Africa’s first freely elected female head of state. A Harvard-educated economist and grandmother of eight who had been exiled to Nigeria and nicknamed the Iron Lady, Johnson Sirleaf won a run-off election with 59 percent of the vote, but faces enormous obstacles in rebuilding a war-torn country. Despite massive support both in Liberia and abroad, Johnson Sirleaf must not only find ways to reform a corrupt authoritarian government saddled by astronomical debts, but must also confront opponents loyal to former President Charles Taylor - all without alienating her voter base. Since taking office, Johnson Sirleaf has appointed an unprecedented number of women to leadership positions in all areas in the Liberian government. With the exclusive cooperation of President Sirleaf, "Iron Ladies of Liberia" goes behind the scenes of this groundbreaking administration during its first year, as it works to prevent a post-conflict nation from returning to civil war. Other “iron ladies” seen throughout the film include Minister of Justice Francis Johnson-Morris, Commerce Minister Olubanke King Akerele and Minister of Gender Vabah Kazaku Gayflor. The film is co-directed by Daniel Junge, Siatta Scott Johnson. The Real Shirley Bassey (2001)Dame Shirley Veronica Bassey, DBE began her career in the mid-1950s, and is best known for both her powerful operatic voice and for recording the theme songs to the James Bond films "Goldfinger" (1964), "Diamonds Are Forever" (1971), and "Moonraker" (1979). In January 1959, Bassey became the first Welsh person to gain a No. 1 single. In 2000, Bassey was made a Dame for services to the performing arts. In 1977 she received the Brit Award for Best British Female Solo Artist in the previous 25 years. Bassey has been called "one of the most popular female vocalists in Britain during the last half of the 20th century." The life of Welsh singer is told through archive footage and with interviews of those who have known and worked with her since the 1950s, as she went on to become the greatest singer and diva of our generation. Directed by Michael Wadding, this film charts the story of this incredible woman. Life’s Essentials with Ruby Dee (2014) Directed by her grandson Muta’Ali Muhammad, the documentary style film about Love, art and activism tells the life and love story of Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis for the first time, incorporating candid and revealing conversations with the award-winning actress, playwright and activist Dee, conducted by Muta’Ali who not only discovers intimate details about his grandparents’ relationship, but also questions his ability to carry on the very dynasty that gave him life. In the film, the director breaks the wall between himself and his subject to ask heartfelt questions of his grandmother. Her answers only spark more questions for Muta’Ali, provoking him to dig deeper into the family archives and history, as he chronicles their remarkable journey as trailblazers in the arts community and activists in the Civil Rights Movement. Muta’Ali also shares exclusive video footage, family photos and memorabilia. In addition, a host of celebrity friends like Alan Alda, Angela Bassett, Harry Belafonte, Danny Glover, Hill Harper, Samuel Jackson, Spike Lee, S. Epatha Merkerson, Phylicia Rashad, Glynn Turman, Dr. Cornel West, Sonia Sanchez and Malik Yoba share eyewitness accounts of this American legacy. Muta’Ali captures his grandmother’s perspective about life’s essentials: love, marriage, commitment, conscious art and activism. The film preserves the wisdom of Dee and Davis for many longing to create a tradition of rich living that impacts today’s society.

Videos

Black Women in American Culture and History - I just liked this video it's so heart felt. It's normal people talking about black women they admire. https://youtu.be/cWsxMx_Iupc

A celebration of natural hair - Cheyenne Cochrane explores the role that hair texture has played in the history of being black in America -- from the heat straightening products of the post-Civil War era to the thousands of women today who have decided to stop chasing a conventional beauty standard and start embracing their natural hair. "This is about more than a hairstyle," Cochrane says. "It's about being brave enough not to fold under the pressure of others' expectations." https://www.ted.com/talks/cheyenne_cochrane_a_celebration_of_natural_hair

One of the most important African American leaders of the twentieth century and perhaps the most influential woman in the civil rights movement, Ella Baker (1903-1986) was an activist whose remarkable career spanned fifty years and touched thousands of lives.

In The Revolution Has Come Robyn C. Spencer traces the Black Panther Party's organizational evolution in Oakland, California, where hundreds of young people came to political awareness and journeyed to adulthood as members. Challenging the belief that the Panthers were a projection of the leadership, Spencer draws on interviews with rank-and-file members, FBI files, and archival materials to examine the impact the organization's internal politics and COINTELPRO's political repression had on its evolution and dissolution. She shows how the Panthers' members interpreted, implemented, and influenced party ideology and programs; initiated dialogues about gender politics; highlighted ambiguities in the Panthers' armed stance; and criticized organizational priorities. Spencer also centers gender politics and the experiences of women and their contributions to the Panthers and the Black Power movement as a whole. Providing a panoramic view of the party's organization over its sixteen-year history, The Revolution Has Come shows how the Black Panthers embodied Black Power through the party's international activism, interracial alliances, commitment to address state violence, and desire to foster self-determination in Oakland's black communities.

Living with the dual burdens of racism and sexism, slave women in the plantation South assumed roles within the family and community that contrasted sharply with traditional female roles in the larger American society. This new edition of Ar'n't I a Woman? reviews and updates the scholarship on slave women and the slave family, exploring new ways of understanding the intersection of race and gender and comparing the myths that stereotyped female slaves with the realities of their lives. Above all, this groundbreaking study shows us how black women experienced freedom in the Reconstruction South ― their heroic struggle to gain their rights, hold their families together, resist economic and sexual oppression, and maintain their sense of womanhood against all odds.

Published in 1861, this was one of the first personal narratives by a slave and one of the few written by a woman. Jacobs (1813-97) was a slave in North Carolina and suffered terribly, along with her family, at the hands of a ruthless owner. She made several failed attempts to escape before successfully making her way North, though it took years of hiding and slow progress. Eventually, she was reunited with her children. For all biography and history collections.

For nearly thirty years Nichelle Nichols has been part of the Star Trek mythos. As Lieutenant Uhura, communications officer of the Starship Enterprise, she was the first African-American woman to have a major continuing role on television. Her candid and insightful autobiography takes readers on her life's voyage of personal discovery and professional triumph - beyond Uhura. Available Formats: Hardcover and Paperback

A powerful study of the women's liberation movement in the U.S., from abolitionist days to the present, that demonstrates how it has always been hampered by the racist and classist biases of its leaders. From the widely revered and legendary political activist and scholar Angela Davis.

From one of this country's most important intellectuals comes a brilliant analysis of the blues tradition that examines the careers of three crucial black women blues singers through a feminist lens. Angela Davis provides the historical, social, and political contexts with which to reinterpret the performances and lyrics of Gertrude "Ma" Rainey, Bessie Smith, and Billie Holiday as powerful articulations of an alternative consciousness profoundly at odds with mainstream American culture.